"Unfortunately it's something that every major studio has to do sometimes in order to ensure you have the right set up for current and future projects," Square Enix told Kotaku. "It's never a nice thing to do but we are genuinely trying to offer as much support as much as we can. We're trying to re-locate as many people as possible into other roles here or at our other studios and we've been in touch several studios in Montreal to arrange a career day for those affected by this. We're very thankful for all their hard work and we sincerely wish them well."

Layoffs following completion of a game are common in the industry. However, the development of Thief has been especially troubled, with Eidos Montreal's founder resigning, citing "lack of leadership, lack of courage" with publisher Square Enix.